Manual transmission clutch control using driveline measurements

• US 9,815,473 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fujii, Yuji, Gibson, Alex O., Pietron, Gregory M., Kucharski, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Tisha
• Application Number:
  US14/945,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20160068163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/19 Improvement of gear change, e.g. by synchronisation or smoothing gear shift
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/1082 Manual transmission
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/30401 On-off signal indicating the engage or disengaged position of the clutch
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/3065 Torque of the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/30814 Torque of the input shaft
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/30818 Speed change rate of the input shaft
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/30822 Torque of the output shaft
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/30827 Speed change rate of the output shaft
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/31413 Clutch pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/31453 Accelerator pedal position threshold, e.g. switch
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/31466 Gear lever
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/50287 Torque control
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/7041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/70426 Clutch slip
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/7044 Output shaft torque
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/70458 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/7061 Feed-back
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 48/06 : Control by electric or electronic means, e.g. of fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/147 : Transmission input torque, e.g. measured or estimated engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 63/46 : Signals to a clutch outside the gearbox
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2014 : Manually operated selector [e.g., remotely controlled device, lever, push button, rotary dial, etc.]

Abstract

A method for controlling a manual transmission includes using a controller to determine a desired torque transmitted through an input clutch for the desired gear after a shift lever is moved to a desired gear position and while a clutch pedal is being released for engaging the clutch; inferring torque in the vehicle drive assembly; using inferred torque to determine clutch torque; and using the controller to automatically adjust a clutch actuator such that a difference between the desired torque and the inferred torque is reduced.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a manual transmission gearshift, comprising:

(a) determining, using a controller, a desired clutch torque for a desired gear after a shift-lever is moved to the desired gear, while a clutch pedal is being released;

(b) measuring rotating component acceleration;

(c) inferring a clutch torque based on the acceleration;

(d) reducing clutch torque error by automatically adjusting a clutch actuator such that a difference between the desired and inferred clutch torque is reduced.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) determining a current engine torque;

(f) determining, using the controller, a desired engine torque for the desired gear; and

(g) automatically reducing a difference between the desired engine torque and the current engine torque.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises, using an acceleration sensor, mounted adjacent to a rotating component of a transmission system, to measure the rotating component acceleration.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises using the controller to determine the desired clutch torque for the desired gear after an accelerator pedal is re-depressed.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

(e) using the controller to determine a desired clutch slip of a clutch;

(f) determining slip across the clutch; and

(g) reducing clutch slip error by automatically adjusting the clutch actuator such that a difference between the desired and calculated slip is reduced.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) is further defined by, using a speed sensor, mounted adjacent to a rotating component of a transmission system, and determining a time derivative of an angular velocity to measure the rotating component acceleration.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) is further defined by using an angular position sensor, mounted adjacent to a rotating component of a transmission system, determining an angular velocity and a time derivative of an angular velocity to measure the rotating component acceleration.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) is further defined by the rotating component acceleration being measured by a sensor located between a manual transmission and a driven wheel.

9. A method for controlling a manual transmission gearshift, comprising:

(a) determining, using a controller, a desired clutch torque for a desired gear, after a shift-lever is moved to the desired gear, a clutch pedal is depressed and thereafter released, and an accelerator pedal is released and thereafter depressed;

(b) measuring rotating component acceleration;

(c) inferring clutch torque based on the acceleration;

(d) automatically adjusting a clutch actuator such that a difference between the desired and inferred clutch torque is reduced.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

(e) determining a current engine torque;

(f) determining, using the controller, a desired engine torque for the desired gear; and

automatically reducing a difference between the desired engine torque and the current engine torque.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein step (b) further comprises, using an acceleration sensor, mounted adjacent to a rotating component of a transmission system, to measure the rotating component acceleration.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

(e) using the controller to determine a desired clutch slip of a clutch;

(f) calculating slip across the clutch; and

(g) reducing clutch slip error by automatically adjusting the clutch actuator such that a difference between the desired and calculated slip is reduced.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein step (b) further comprises, using a speed sensor, mounted adjacent to a rotating component of a transmission system, and determining a time derivative of an angular velocity to measure the rotating component acceleration.

14. A method for controlling a manual transmission gearshift, comprising:

(a) a controller unlocking a shift-lever after a switch indicates a desired gearshift, and an accelerator pedal is released;

(b) after the shift-lever is moved to another gear, determining a desired clutch torque for the gear;

(c) measuring rotating component acceleration;

(d) inferring clutch torque based on the acceleration;

(e) automatically adjusting a clutch actuator such that a difference between the desired and inferred clutch torque is reduced.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a current engine torque;

determining, using a controller, a desired engine torque for the new gear; and

automatically reducing a difference between the desired engine torque and the current engine torque.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein step (c) further comprises, using an acceleration sensor, mounted adjacent to a rotating component of a transmission system, to measure the rotating component acceleration.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein step (c) further comprises, using a speed sensor, mounted adjacent to a rotating component of a transmission system, and determining a time derivative of an angular velocity to measure the rotating component acceleration.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

(e) using the controller to determine a desired clutch slip of a clutch;

(f) calculating slip across the clutch; and

(g) reducing clutch slip error by automatically adjust the clutch actuator such that a difference between the desired and calculated clutch slip is reduced.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein step (c) further comprises, using an angular position sensor, mounted adjacent to a rotating component of a transmission system, determining an angular velocity and a time derivative of an angular velocity to measure the rotating component acceleration.